Polish football’s racism problem

Poland and Ukraine have been told by UEFA president Michel Platini to speed up their preparations for the 2012 European championships. Platini informed both countries that their preparations for the tournament must improve.

“I have the distinct feeling that the next four to six months will be crucial in order to avoid any critical slippage in sports and public infrastructure projects and to protect the global credibility of the Euro project itself,” Platini said during executive committee discussions of the planning stage.

UEFA acknowledged that preparations had suffered because of political instability in the two countries since they won the race to host the finals last April.

Platini demanded governments of the two countries to set up proper management structures in order to closely monitor “all the projects related to Euro 2012″.

Michal Listkiewicz, the president of the Polish FA said: “It is true that we are behind in some projects because of the political turbulence of last year but we are confident that everything will be back on schedule.”

In a statement, UEFA said “By choosing Poland and the Ukraine, UEFA took a momentous decision that gave a strong message to central and eastern Europe.

“It is clear that there has been a certain degree of political instability in both countries in 2007. However, this instability now seems to be over with newly established governments in each country, but there can be no doubt that the launch of investment-intensive projects, such as stadiums, airports and motorways has suffered from the instability.”

Platini added: “UEFA is totally committed to do everything possible in the next few months to assist and support the two associations at both the advisory and administrative level in order to guarantee the success of the project.”

World Cup holders Italy were strongly tipped to win last April’s vote and the decision to award the 2012 finals to the joint bid from eastern Europe came as a shock. However, despite the current uncertainty there was no suggestion from Platini that the finals would be taken away from Poland and Ukraine.

From: www.worldsoccer.com

Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski Wednesday in Warsaw signed a package of laws designed to streamline investment procedures and thus speed-up work preparing Poland to co-host UEFA’s 2012 European football championships along with eastern neighbour Ukraine.

In the heat of Poland’s ongoing general election campaign, opposition politicians have slammed the government of President Kaczynski’s identical twin brother, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski for dragging its heels with regard to the highly important project. With no world-class football stadiums and virtually no European-class highways, many have expressed serious doubts as to whether Poland will be prepared for the 2012 kick-off. Poland, which joined the EU in 2004, will co-host the Euro 2012 football finals with non-EU Ukraine. Both countries are now faced with the mammoth tasks of building a new motorway and stadium infrastructure.

Poland currently has no world-class stadium facilities and a only a very limited motorway network. Poland is also struggling with a hooligan problem, which came to the fore again in July when European football’s ruling body UEFA threw Legia Warsaw out of the Intertoto Cup and banned the Polish club from European competition for a year. The ban came in the wake of crowd trouble when Legia fans ran amok during a second round first-leg match against FK Vetra Vilnius in the Lithuanian capital. Poland’s Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski subsequently apologized to Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas for the violence.

From: www.earthtimes.org

Poland wants to set a new deadline for the construction of their Euro 2012 stadiums.

Since Poland won the right in April to co-host the event with Ukraine, early euphoria has been replaced by growing concerns it may not prepare new grounds and upgrade inadequate infrastructure in time.

European soccer’s governing body UEFA says the tournament co-hosts must build the necessary stadiums by mid-2010.

“We need additional time and the year 2011 will be the most suitable,” Jakubiak told a news conference.

The surprising choice of Poland and Ukraine as co-hosts ahead of Italy was originally touted by the Polish government as an opportunity to put the country on the international soccer map.

But a growing number of critics say Poland might have taken on a near-impossible task.

“Beside the announcement, nothing has been done so far,” said Zbigniew Chlebowski, deputy head of the parliamentary finance committee and a member of the opposition Civic Platform party.

“There are also no ideas where to get the money from to finance the huge projects.”

Poland is estimated to need about three billion zlotys ($1.09 billion) to build or restructure four main Euro 2012 stadiums.

WARSAW HEADACHE

The planned national stadium in the capital Warsaw has proved the biggest headache.

The new ground is to be built at a dilapidated communist-era stadium now being used as Europe’s largest outdoor market, with Jakubiak saying hundreds of traders will be asked to leave by mid-September.

Polish authorities have not decided whether the old stadium will be razed or if a new facility will be built next to the old one to save time.

The transport ministry also estimates it will need 164 billion zlotys to build 2,400-km (1,500-miles) of motorway to prepare for the tournament.

Only six kilometres of motorway was built last year and none so far this year.

Source: reuters.com

Stadium in Donieck will be the first arena of Euro 2012 which will come into use. Its opening is expected to be in July next year- announced the representative of city council Aleksander Gromakow during the conference of Polish-Ukrainian Self-Government Forum Euro 2012.

‘It will be the biggest and the most modern object in the eastern part of Europe. A roof made of glass will be its main feature. Apart from the stunning visual effect it is also a practical solution because it has a good effect on the grass preservation’- said Gromakow.

Stadium is patterned on the modernized Benfica’s object in Lisbon. It will hold 55 thousand spectators and its building cost is estimated on 250 million dollars.

‘There will be cafes, restaurants, fast foods and places where one could relax on the area around the stadium. This area will be available for everyone and everyday. So if a family comes to watch a match but a wife doesn’t want to watch it she can spend time visiting one of the facilities around the stadium’- added Gromakow.

So in the next year a new stadium in Dnipropietrovsk is expected to come into use.

‘Conversion of stadium in Charkov is finished in 90 percent. UEFA can add this city to the group of organizers’- said Andrij Mikitiw expert for stadiums in the Ukrainian Football Federation.

Over 60 people, representatives of cities-hosts Euro 2012, the Ukrainian police, Polish embassy in Kiev and the staff of football federation from both countries took part in the conference of Self-Government Forum which lasted a few days in Dnipropietrovsk and Donieck and finished on Saturday.

To build a stadium for 30-40 thousand people two, or two and half a year is enough- said in the interview of ‘Rzeczpospolita’ Heinz Palme, the chairman of company ‘Austria przy Pilce’ which coordinates preparations of Austria to Euro 2008 finals.

– Every organizer of championships has a similar problem as Poland. We also have elections and changes of government. In Klagenfurt we managed to begin works at the last moment because first environmentalists protested, politicians quarreled and then documentation concerning a tender leaked out to the press and a court had to intervene. UEFA demands building of stadium for one year before the sports event- we can work longer on its infrastructure- but it’s understanding.

-All stadiums apart from the one in Vienna have capacity of 30-40 thousand. Two and half a year for building such object is enough. In Zurich we managed to do it in two years- added Austrian.

– I think that stadiums aren’t the major problem of Poland and Ukraine. They will be built for sure. Instead of that we should worry about roads, airports, ect. In reply to a question concerning problems during preparations to the world championships in Germany Palme thinks that comparison to Germany isn’t a good idea.

– They hit on idea to do the 2006 World Cup in the mid-90s and started doing plans.

Besides they had Beckenbauer who managed to organize everything and had experts such as Secretary-General of German Football Federation Horst Schmidt who has been send to save the World Cup in the Republic of South Africa. Palme is surprised that Poles want to economize on expensive help from abroad.

–Experts are very expensive. We spend amounts of money which run into millions of euro, but it’s worth. We pay to save on something else. Ask for help is not a shame. Even Germany asked me Austrian for help. It wasn’t easy for them because managers especially those from Bundesliga were convicted that they did everything the best in the world and they didn’t need advice.

The Management of the Sport Centre Authority (COS) will meet the minister of sport Tomasz Lipiec once again to talk about extension of the lease of X-lecia Stadium in Warsaw by Damis company – quotes Gazeta.pl. This is a result of Thursday talks between merchants of Europe Fair and COS management.

The talks will concern the timeframe for the lease of X-lecia Stadium by Damis company. On Wednesday the minister of sport informed that the decision on non-extension of the contract with Damis company, which holds X-lecia Stadium on lease, is irrevocable.

- The agreement expires on 30th June this year and this is the last day when the merchants can lawfully trade at Europe Fair. We are determined to recover this area for sport, particularly in view of the European Football Championships EURO 2012 – Lipiec said.

A few days ago the merchants issued a letter to a PiS MP Jolanta Szczypińska concerning the future of the merchants trading at X-lecia Stadium.

- Yesterday the letter found its way into the hands of PiS MPs and as of now it is considered by the Prime Minister. We are waiting for prime minister’s decision - said Lucyna Kwiatek, the president of „Stadion” association.

The merchants were supported by Warsaw councillors, who turned with an appeal to the prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński calling for urgent actions on transfer of another area for merchants’ use. This concerns areas in the neighbourhood of the capital city’s Eastern Railway Station. A resolution on that matter, at a motion from Platforma Obywatelska councillors, was adopted by the City Council during the Thursday meeting.

X-lecia Stadium is Warsaw’s largest sport facility, which is currently used as a fair – one of Europe’s biggest. As late as in 1980ties, country’s most important sport event was held there. The Stadium was also used for cultural and propaganda purposes: concerts, harvest festivals and official celebrations of anniversaries of importance for the People’s Republic of Poland were held there.

A modern National Sport Centre, which will be one of EURO 2012 arenas, is to be erected in place of X-lecia Stadium.

Source: Gazeta.pl